Brad Pitt's WWII tank drama 'Fury' moves up to October

Brad Pitt and David Ayer's tank drama "Fury" will take the battlefield earlier than expected. Sony Pictures has moved the release date of the World War II-set film up to Oct. 17, from Nov. 14, the studio announced Tuesday.

On its new date, "Fury" will open against the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu drama "Birdman," the animated movie "Book of Life," the horror flick "Dracula Untold," the romance "The Best of Me" and the crime thriller "Nightcrawler."

An October release gives "Fury" an elongated awards-season runway, a strategy that worked well for movies like "Argo,""12 Years a Slave" and "Gravity"; it also keeps the film from being caught between a pair of potential blockbusters in "Interstellar" (opening Nov. 7) and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1" (Nov. 21).